Regional Initiatives

As economic reforms in the 1990s shifted land ownership into the hands of private smallholders, family farmers became the predominant source of agricultural production in the region. To address the absence of well-developed institutional support, FAO is implementing a Regional Initiative on Empowering Smallholders and Family Farms for Improved Rural Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction.

As countries seek to expand local trade, increase political and economic ties to the European Union or join the World Trade Organization, they must integrate their trade systems with new markets and comply with new standards. Regional and global integration is imperative as the region becomes an increasingly important supplier of agricultural goods to international markets. This initiative helps countries understand trade implications, implement trade policy and engage in trade agreements.

Stories from the field

With soil inventory reports dating back decades, soil data in Turkey is incomplete, fragmented and inaccessible to a broad range of crucial actors such as farmers and policymakers engaged in the agriculture sector.

A dynamic seed industry needs the support of a sound regulatory framework to ensure that farmers have access to high-quality seed of the best crop varieties. In practice, though, seed legislation and regulations can be a barrier to developing a competitive seed industry that meets the real needs of farmers, processors and consumers.

Grain production is a grand pillar of agriculture in Azerbaijan, where the annual demand for wheat ranges from 3 to 3.5 million tonnes. With current yields, though, domestic production does not meet demand and the gap is filled with imported grain.